Things haven’t exactly panned out for Affliction in the MMA promoting business. They’re closing in on their third show in a little over a year’s time and they have yet to figure out how to gets fans in the arena without paying ridiculous fighter salaries that almost guarantee they’ll take a loss on the event. So what do they do to improve the old bottom line? They go back to what they know best: gaudy, overpriced t-shirts.

But apparently Affliction feels they’ve accomplished all they can in the field of pro fighting, and they’re now moving on to the NFL. What you see above there is the Washington Redskins “Affliction Warrior tee.” Yes, they are seriously trying to sell that for $31.99. And yes, we realize that’s actually a price cut for Affliction gear. Are NFL Affliction t-shirts bound to be the next big thing in pro football sports apparel? We’re going to go out on a limb here and say no. Here are three good reasons why:

1) When it comes to team sports like pro football, the two most popular design elements are team colors and team logos. This Redskins shirt has neither that you can spot at first glance. You have to look really hard just to tell that that’s a Redskins helmet on there. And once you’ve looked that hard and realized that all you’re looking at is a Redskins helmet, you’re bound to be disappointed.

2) One of the calling cards of the Affliction style is uniformity. All the shirts are basically the same, perhaps exchanging a skull for a religious image here and there, and with a variable amount of wings and/or chains. The last thing NFL fans want is a shirt that, at first glance, can be mistaken for any other team’s shirt. Imagine you’re a Chargers fan and have no way of differentiating yourself from a Texans fan. Depressing, right?

3) Sports fans generally go for attire that helps them identify with their favorite athletes. This works to Affliction’s advantage in MMA, where they’ve managed to pay fighters enough to wear their clothes during their entrances and post-fight interviews, but it’s not going to fly with the NFL crowd. Those people wants authentic team jerseys with their favorite player’s name on the back. They don’t want a shirt just because a player might possibly wear it to a nightclub with three coked out chicks, one of whom will inevitably spill her grape martini all over the thing.

That said, if you’ve managed to read this far and still think you want that Redskins t-shirt, go for it. Instead of making fun of you like we normally would, we applaud you instead. For it is only you, undiscerning American consumer, who will finally pull us out of this recession with your ill-advised, free-spending ways. Go ‘head and put it on your credit card too. You deserve it.

Raiders fans already own enough tough looking black shirts, and the rest of the NFL fans want to do everything possible to AVOID LOOKING LIKE RAIDERS FANS

BeastUnleashed- June 3, 2009 at 3:04 pm

What if UFC decided to start selling shirts. Oh wait Tapout already makes them for them. Tapout got some pretty nice shirts but I would never wear them because I am not a fucking fighter.

rokabee- June 3, 2009 at 2:46 pm

@ Munche

Yea man I feel ya on this, I have a Blue Angels hat, and a Black and gold Angels hat...but that is much different because you can actually recognize the logo..the only thing they change is the colors. Affliction is just using basically the same designs they use but putting "redskins" on it. There is wayy to much goin on in that shirt to understand that its even a damn football helment. Plus can affliction even comprehend the phrase "cool designs" ?? I personally don't think they can.

Where's perdew at????? If these sell than you will have more people to sub homey.

@ Kupo

Your ignorant to think this doesn't have anything to do with mma, obviously they are an MMA promoting company, and when MMA promoting companies do something like this it deserves to be heard bcuz quite frankly ITS FUNNY SHIT, and it does pertain to their promoting abilities for their (maybe possibly) upcoming shows. They could have a deal "Hey buy our NFL t-shirts and receive 10% off at the next AFFLICTION SHOW. So shut up and please take a seat, ur last in line.

Good Job Team.

Akilleez- June 3, 2009 at 2:46 pm

I am proud to say that I have never owned a single Affliction T-shirt.

Old_Bald_and_Irish- June 3, 2009 at 2:00 pm

@ mayhem

Dude, right on the money.

These shirts will sell like freakin' cornbread hotcakes in Philly.

The big thing in Philly this year is EVERYBODY is wearing these black-on-black Phillies hats and shirts. Do the same thing with the Eagles and you can pull the Brinks truck up to the Lincoln Financial Field.

munche- June 3, 2009 at 12:58 pm

Maybe this is only around here, but in LA people wear random colors for their team all the time. You can get Laker and Dodger gear in just about any color you can imagine. I've also seen all sorts of colors for Yankee and Red Sox hats and shirts, too.

Some people want to sport their team's stuff but still have a certain "look"....especially when that team wears purple and gold

I could see plenty of people buying shirts like this if the designs are cool

Meohfumado- June 3, 2009 at 12:58 pm

I foresee many sales to Raider fans.

Swedish- June 3, 2009 at 12:45 pm

another reason NEVER to support AssLicktion. The sooner they go out of business the better.

Please NOBODY buy the next PPV. You would only be prolonging the inevitable failure

NateGetsIrate- June 3, 2009 at 12:20 pm

I agree with platypus. At least they could get the right fucking color!

1canadiankid- June 3, 2009 at 11:54 am

Reebok seems to think these shirts are a good idea. Check out NFLShop.com
You will see the "REDSKINS" shirt made by Reebok.

a platypus- June 3, 2009 at 11:51 am

color that bad boy burgundy and gold, instead of broke ass raider colors and ill put up the dough.

Fucklord- June 3, 2009 at 11:50 am

The only reason I might consider buying that shirt is because it is black, like my hero Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson

My Fight Wiffa Cheeto- June 3, 2009 at 11:45 am

I tend to agree with kula.

Kevin Marshall- June 3, 2009 at 11:44 am

I didn't think it was possible to make t-shirts patterned after the shittiest tattoos on Earth any uglier. And yet, amazingly, slapping a football helmet on it makes it even worse. It's Bizarro World brilliant, really.

kula- June 3, 2009 at 11:34 am

@kupo

you are an idiot.

BM2- June 3, 2009 at 11:26 am

TBH this shirt design is one of their better shirts. American MMA fashion plumbs incredible depths.

kupo- June 3, 2009 at 11:24 am

CP, what the fuck are you doing? What the fuck does this have to do with MMA? I thought this was an "MMA" site, not a "rag on Affliction because we know more about how the t-shirt industry works than a multi-million dollar company that made all of their money selling T-shirts even though we are MMA journalists" site.

Honestly who gives a fuck about what Affliction is doing outside of MMA. This isn't news, it's a pile of horse shit. We all know Affliction makes shitty overpriced shirts now please stick to covering MMA and I will stick to this site for my MMA news.

rh- June 3, 2009 at 11:21 am

They've already been banned at NFL events, since Goodell heard Affliction was considering starting their own Professional Football League in 2010.

He's quoted as saying "Those fucking pussies don't know anything about fucking football. When I was personally 250 fucking million in the fucking hole starting this industry, he was fucking dry humping some faggot featherweight at a TKD studio."

Then Atencio challenged him to a fight.

rh

mayhem- June 3, 2009 at 11:17 am

Those will not go over at a NY Giants tailgate party... maybe in Philly yes, but not in Giants stadium. Also it already kinda looks like the crapy homemade team shirts that you get from scalpers in the parking lot.

LoneWolf- June 3, 2009 at 11:14 am

LOL. Those shirts are freakin terrible.

Wyatt- June 3, 2009 at 11:12 am

those shirts just make it easier to spot the douchebags in a crowd. It is a uniform for idiots.